Merry Christmas Eve! I hope you've been enjoying this! What are your Christmas Eve traditions?

-owl


Ziva woke up with a crick in her neck. She was the only one to blame for that, as that did tend to happen when one slept in a chair, with their head on a table. Tony, who was also waking up, didn't look any better than Ziva felt. The room was cooler than when they had fallen asleep, the fire had died at some point. At least there was no wind coming through the walls. For as much as the homestead looked run-down, it was in great condition.

Then the coachman stretched and stood up. Quickly he pulled on his cloak and exited the room. Tony and Ziva also got their stuff together, mainly the fire-warmed furs, and joined the coachman outside, harnessing the horses once again to the carriage.

The horses seemed to be fine, and happy enough to be harnessed. Once they were, and the straps were double checked, Tony and Ziva hopped into the carriage as the coachman got into his seat. The clouds were still thick, though Ziva noted that they were a fluffy white, compared to the previous day's dark gray.

The carriage lurched into action, the horses pulling it through the snow at a slower pace than the previous day. Ziva could hear the crunching of the snow under the wheels. As they moved, she peered out the window.

"I wonder if it would have been more efficient to have taken the sleigh?" she mused out loud to Tony.

"That is a good point. But with the new, fluffy, snow, the runners likely wouldn't have any better time getting through it."


A few hours later, they had gotten to the denser forest Tony had mentioned the previous day, and they felt the carriage begin to speed up without the excess snow to get through. However, after a few minutes the carriage stopped.

"Your Majesties," the coachman's voice came through the door. "I'm sorry to stop, but I need to brush snow clumps from the horses."

"Alright," Tony responded. Then he turned to Ziva. "If we are going to be delayed a little more, I think I might take the opportunity to give you your Christmas present early."

Ziva grinned. "I suppose, if you think now is a good time. I also have something for you."

Both Ziva and Tony pulled out carefully wrapped presents from either their pockets or underneath the furs next to them. Tony was handed a small box the size of his hand. Ziva, meanwhile, had been given a four foot long item, that could only be a sword. At the same time the pair opened their presents. Well, at least Tony pretended to.

Ziva gasped in delight when she removed the wrapping to find a long sword, with a huge, green, chrysoberyl gemstone set in the pommel. "Tony, this is amazing!"

Tony smiled. "I'm glad you like it. I forged it myself."

Ziva looked up at him, her eyes meeting his. "You made it?"

He nodded. "Yes, I thought that it would be more special if I did. And I had been seeing the one your father had given you was looking worn down."

She nodded. "Yes, it has been. Thank you, Tony. Now you should open yours."

Tony raised his hands slightly, in a show of mock conceding. Then he picked up the small box and untied the bow. He tipped it out onto his left hand. After putting the box down, he picked up the ring that was in his palm.

"Is this?" he asked, looking up at Ziva, astonishment in his eyes.

"The signet ring you should have gotten?" Ziva finished for him. "Yes, when I was down in the vaults with Abby, I found it."

"Why didn't I think to look there?" Tony asked.

Ziva shrugged. "It was cast aside, among a pile of other gold rings, I barely found it myself."

Tony smiled and slid it onto his left pinky finger after removing the silver one. The silver one went into the box and into Tony's pocket. "Thank you, Ziva." Tony said, and it was the most sincere tone of voice he had used since their wedding.

At some point during their gift giving, the coachman had finished brushing down the horses, because the carriage was moving again.


They did not stop the rest of the day. They ate their meals while traveling, and by the time they reached the village that was next to McGee Manor, it was nearly full dark. They passed through the gates onto the estate without issue, the guards even waved as they passed. Then they closed the curtains and changed into nicer clothing for their arrival.

"Abby must have been worried that we were not going to make it." Ziva commented to Tony.

He nodded. "That sounds like her. We did get here really late, and I had told Timothy that we should have been here by noon."

The carriage stopped right outside the manor, where Abby and Timothy were waiting. Beside Abby was the dog that Ziva had seen hanging around the kitchens the last week or so. Tony got out first to help Ziva out, and Ziva had barely had the chance to get out of the carriage before Abby bolted towards her.

"We thought something happened to you," Abby whisper-sobbed into Ziva's ear.

Ziva let Abby hug her tighter. "There was a blizzard yesterday. We were only on the road until noon."

Their exchange was then interrupted by a wet nose poking Ziva's hand. She looked down to see the dog. "And who is this, Abby?" she asked.

Abby grinned. "Tim gave me him for Christmas. He said that he was causing problems in the castle, and Tony had given his blessing. I named him Jethro."

Ziva had to giggle at that. "You named him after Dad's childhood nickname?"

"So what? I thought it suited him."

Ziva shook her head. "Only you, Abby, only you."

A mock look of hurt covered Abby's face, and she tried snatching at Ziva, who dodged out of the way. With a battle cry, Abby tore after her, Ziva always three steps ahead and out of reach of Abby.